The runs with my bun max

[Lea]

So I have a 3 year old female double-maned dwarf lion head (spayed) who I think has a sensitive stomach. She can not eat any fresh fruits or veggies without having mushy sticky smelly poo ( the kind that sticks to the fur.) I feel very bad that I can’t give her any greens as a treat. So far “Little Martin’s” banana muffin treats seem to be ok in small quantities. Both of my rabbits get plenty of water, hay and pebbles but Max doesn’t seem interested in the Timothy hay. Also noted she does have a partner named “Whiskers” who is perfectly fine with foods.

My question is has anyone else experienced a bunny having a sensitive stomach? Is there a way to feed her something fresh that won’t give her the runs? It’s very hard to groom her and wipe her butt everyday since it sticks to her fur and is very hard to clean.

Hopefully someone has some insight.

Thanks

[Bam]

You could try a different type of hay. Some buns are very picky with hay. I have a bunny with a sensitive tummy, he can have leafy greens and fennel though. His tummy is always better in the summer when I can forage for him. Stuff he likes and that agrees with him are apple leaves and twigs (from apple trees that haven’t been treated with pesticides), willow and rowan. Some buns like raspberry or blackberry leaves. What you can get of course depends on where you live. If there are racoons and wild bunnies near you, it’s not recommended to pick stuff that’s growing on the ground, due to the risk of parasites transmitted through the wild animals’ feces and urine. Otherwise plain grass is fine, many buns prefer that to hay and it’s a very species-appropriate food for them.

Bam’s big favorite just now is dill. Dill is traditionally used for tummy problems in humans, as is mint.

Rabbits do have varying sensitivities towards food. So what one bun might thrive on, the next bunny may get sticky poop from. Sometimes a probiotic help. Sticky poop is the result of some disturbance to the GI microbiota, and there’s most likely some genetic component as well that makes certain buns prone to ISC (intermittent soft cecotropes), as the condition is called.

I’m guessing you have read up on this problem online, but I’ll still paste links to two good articles on sticky poop:

http://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

[tobyluv]

The first step is to get her eating hay. That will certainly help with her GI issues and of course will benefit her teeth. Try orchard grass, meadow hay, oat hay, botanical hay, or any different varieties you can find. Also try different brands or cuttings of hay. Some rabbits like harder, crunchier hay, while others like softer, sweeter hay.

What quantity of pellets does she get? Too many pellets can cause a messy bottom, plus they fill up on those and might not want hay as much. A lionhead is a small breed and should only get around 1/8 cup of pellets a day.

I’ve never heard of those treats you mentioned, but many treats sold for rabbits are not good for them. Hay based treats, like Oxbow Simple Rewards Baked Treats would be a better option. Or you could try dehydrating some fruit like banana or apple to use as a treat.

[Deleted User]

Bombur has sensitive stomach. I have to introduce tiny morsels of new foods over the course of a week, but then he’s usually fine. Asriel is a picky eater. He loves 2 things: parsley and oats.

[Author]

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